Pu-er Tea

Tasting Pu-er cha in Kunming, Yunnan tea market

Pu-er teas come from the Xishuangbanna region in the Yunnan province of China. Some of the secrets about their production Dobra Tea has uncovered during several journeys we made to the Yunnan province.

Sheng, "uncooked" pu-er teas are plucked and placed to wither in the sun. This process is also known as mao-cha . The withered tea is spread across bamboo mats where it eventually dries itself after a few hours. The tea is finally steamed again to be pressed into a variety of bricks, nests and suns.

Shou, "cooked" pu-er teas are twice oxidized and fermented. Harvested leaves are laid to wither in the sun for a few hours, where about 60% of the plants moisture is taken away. The tea is then placed in humidified controlled rooms amongst large piles. The tea is tossed once a week for a period of four months. After the tossing, the rows of fermenting tea are covered to keep the leaves warm. After months the tea finally dries and is quickly steamed again to be pressed in a variety of shapes.